Speaker Profiles

“The speakers have all been fantastic, very powerful,” says Chris Drope, Manager, Health, Environment & Safety, Lanxess Inc. “The audiences have been very quiet and respectful (you could hear a pin drop) with quite a few people coming up for a quiet word afterwards with the speakers.” 

To book a speaker for your event please:

• send us an e-mail at speakersbureau@threadsoflife.ca or
• call us at 1-888-567-9490 or
• download a booking form (Word) or PDF

We will match your event with the right speaker. Please call. 

Below are just a few of our more than 30 speakers:

Bill Bowman - Injured Worker

                           Bill Bowman, a manager of a Service Delivery Team at the WSIB, is a champion for young worker safety in his community. At the age of 19, Bill suffered the traumatic amputation of his lower left arm at his summer job in a factory in Hamilton. 

For more than nine years, Bill has volunteered many hours to the IAPA to promote and educate employers and young workers about the importance of workplace health and safety. He works with the Young Worker Awareness Program (YWAP) and serves on other health and safety committees, including the LINK program, which promotes health and safety awareness within the secondary school system. 

Heather Dahmer -- Spouse 

Heather's husband Jim spent years exposed to asbestos; first as a young worker at a local plumbing/heating wholesaler where he handled asbestos rope and pipe covering and later as a plumber/steam fitter and a maintenance supervisor with a school board. Jim has since been diagnosed with mesothelioma (cancer) attributed to exposure to asbestos. Heather speaks about her life with Jim and the challenges they now face as a result of this devastating occupational disease. 

Fran DeFilippis -- Spouse

                          In 1994 Fran was the owner and operator of Inprint Business Printing Centre Inc. Prior to opening her own business, she worked her way up from Inside Sales Associate to Manager at Zippy Print. Fran was happily settling into young parenthood with two children when her husband died suddenly from a workplace tragedy on a construction site in Toronto. Her family's lives were forever changed. 

Marj Deyell -- Mom 

Marj has enjoyed a career as a Registered Practical Nurse involved in the local community nursing services. Marj and her family were a happy family with four grown children and two grandsons until a workplace fatality claimed her son, John, in 2003. 

John was working in Detroit, Michigan unloading a bucket elevator system from the flatbed of a truck when the head struck him, killing him instantly. Today they are a family struggling to find happiness again after the death of their son and brother. Marj has spoken to numerous high school audiences to raise awareness around injury prevention. 

Shirley Hickman -- Mom (Executive Director and Volunteer Family Guide, Threads of Life)

                         In 1996, Shirley’s and her family’s lives were forever changed with the tragic death of her son Tim. Working in a London, Ontario arena, an explosion occurred, and Tim died as a result of his injuries. Since that time, Shirley has focused on making a difference in workplace health and safety. In 2002, Shirley founded Threads of Life – A Workplace Tragedy Family Support Association. It has been Shirley’s vision to help families affected by a workplace tragedy along their journey of healing by providing them with peer support assistance and referral while promoting public awareness and accountability for workplace health and safety. 

Jim Sandford -- Dad

Jim Sandford works in the elevator construction business and was so proud when his son Jim, followed in his foot steps until disaster struck. Jim Jr. was killed on the job in 2005 while he was working on an elevator. Jim Sandford was the recent guest speaker for the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board's Day of Mourning event on April 27, 2007.

Emily Roadhouse -- Cousin

When most people think of a tragedy they think it affects only immediate family members but Emily can tell you different. In March 2005, her cousin Christopher was killed in an industrial workplace tragedy. Although Emily had experienced loss before, this experience was life changing in many ways, and sparked a new outlook on life. Emily aptly shares how the loss of her cousin has far reaching effects on her entire family circle. 

Gil Shoesmith -- Dad (Chair, Threads of Life)
                            
Gil is currently the Chair of Threads of Life. He was formerly a Peace Officer/Supervisor for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He was also a Lay Minister for the Gorge Rd. Hospital in Victoria and an Ordained Chaplain. 

In June 1993, Gil's 22 year-old son, Greg, was working "in the bush" (logging industry) when he was involved in a skidder incident and sustained severe head injuries. Greg lay in a deep coma for five months and died without ever regaining consciousness in November 1993. Gil tackles issues of loneliness, understanding the "why", the myth around 'closure', dealing with mourning and then the life-long stages of grief and other issues.  

Debbie Stead -- Aunt

On May 12, 1995 Debbie's nephew made headlines when he became the youngest worker in British Columbia to die in an industrial incident. He was 15 years-old and just one week into his first summer job. Debbie has been active in raising the awareness of workplace safety to help prevent other children from suffering a similar fate. 

Connie Tountas -- Daughter

Connie is a young professional currently pursuing her career as a Revenue Recovery Specialist in the health and safety field. In 1984 when Connie was a young girl, her family experienced a devastating workplace tragedy when their father, a painter, fell from a ladder and suffered from serious brain damage and paralysis. Connie gives the rare perspective of living in the tragic aftermath of a life-altering injury that affected her family's quality of life with far reaching consequences to her family. 

Joanne Wade -- Mom (Volunteer Family Guide) 
                           Joanne is a Volunteer Family Guide for Threads of Life. Joanne graduated from Mary Mount School of Nursing in 1969 and has worked in a number of hospitals, focusing primarily on nursing the elderly. She is the proud parent of three children. As a parent she had dreams and aspirations of seeing her children grow up, join the workforce, get married, raise children, and enjoy a long life. However her family's lives changed forever on November 9, 1999 when she lost her 22 year-old son Brent to a workplace fatality.

Elizabeth Webley -- Spouse (Volunteer Family Guide)
                          Liz was happily married for 36 years and is the proud mother of three children and has eight grandchildren. However her life changed forever on August 27, 1998 when her family experienced a sudden workplace tragedy. Her husband, Dick, a field supervisor for a road construction company was struck by a young driver who had fallen asleep at the wheel after gambling all night with three friends at a nearby casino. 

Sarah Wheelan -- Sister (Volunteer Family Guide)

Sarah's brother Lewis, 19 at the time, was catastrophically electrocuted when a 7,200 V power line fell on top of him when he was working as a summer student clearing vegetation near power lines. Lewis survived the life-altering injury but lost his lower legs and right arm and shoulder. He was confined to a wheelchair. While he was making some gains in the hard adjustments, he later died during the infamous black out in 2003. For the sake of future workers, Sarah is determined to spread the message about the importance of workplace safety. She is currently pursuing a university degree in health and safety. 

Susanne Wilson -- Spouse (Volunteer Family Guide)

Susanne lost her husband to an occupation disease -- asbestos - when he was 51 years old. He had become exposed to asbestos when he was 16 working a summer job at a rubber plant to save up money for university. Part of his job entailed stripping the boilers when the plant shut down for two weeks in the summer. There were asbestos fibres everywhere. That was his only exposure to asbestos. Susanne talks about living the journey of an unrecognized health condition to a diagnosis and then the aftermath.

and many more others from across Canada...